In Cernobbio, the day dedicated to Italy, and Mattarella's message against "power politics"

The 52nd edition of the Forum organised by The European House - Ambrosetti opened on September 4 at Villa d’Este, in Cernobbio, and closes today, September 6. The title chosen by the organisers for 2026 is “Today’s and tomorrow’s scenario for competitive strategies”, as stated on the event’s official page.

The final day is the one dedicated to Italy. The programme released by the organisers and reported by Sky TG24 includes sessions on labour, energy policy, infrastructure, justice and the economy, and a space reserved for the opposition. This is the Forum’s usual structure: one part on the international framework, one on Europe, the last on the host country, with the government’s agenda and the positions of those who contest it placed on the same day.

The message from the Quirinale

At the Forum, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella sent a message denouncing a coercive vision of interdependence among states, reports the news agency Adnkronos based on the speeches given at the Forum.

“The security of some would thus come at the expense of that of others” — Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic

The passage concerns so-called power politics: the idea, that is, that economic relations between states can be used as a lever of pressure rather than as a network of exchange. This is a theme that did not originate in Cernobbio and that the Forum has addressed for years in the international section of its programme, but the choice to entrust it to a presidential message, in a setting attended by businesses and the government, makes it a pronouncement on the method of economic relations rather than on a single issue.

What this event is, and what it is not

It is worth recalling what exactly is being observed. The Cernobbio Forum is not a decision-making body: it does not produce acts, does not vote, does not bind the government. It is a place where positions and studies are presented before an audience of business leaders, and where political statements take the form of announcements or replies. For this reason, the distinction between what is said at Villa d’Este and what subsequently becomes law is the only useful measure: nothing in the available material indicates that any measure has been adopted in this setting.

A second caveat concerns the figures coming out of the Forum. Much of the material presented is produced by the organiser itself or by participants, and should be read as such: these are declared, partisan studies and surveys, not findings from a public institute. The managing partner and CEO of The European House - Ambrosetti, Valerio De Molli, claimed a non-catastrophist reading of the economic scenario, according to the same account by Adnkronos.

What we do not know

At the time of publication, the full text of the President of the Republic’s message is not available: its content and one textual passage are known, but not the whole. We do not know which opposition figures will speak in the session reserved for them, nor in what order, because the available material indicates the slot in the programme without naming the speakers. Finally, we do not know the number of participants at this edition.

The calendar remains the only certainty: the Forum ran from September 4 to 6, 2026, and the Italian session is today’s. What will emerge from it — spending commitments, legislative timetables, figures — will need to be measured against the acts that follow, not against the announcements made at Villa d’Este.